Pitbull
Armando Christian Pérez, born in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents, came up through the city's bass-and-freestyle party scene, earning early breaks from former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell and crunk producer Lil Jon before releasing his debut album 'M.I.A.M.I.' in 2004. Over the following decade he transformed from a regional Miami rapper into a globe-spanning pop hitmaker, folding reggaeton, dance, and Latin party music into radio-ready anthems and branding himself 'Mr. Worldwide.' His run of Euro-dance-inflected crossover singles in the early 2010s made him one of the defining commercial voices of the era.
Pitbull came up directly in the Miami bass tradition 2 Live Crew defined: former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell signed him to Luke Records and gave him one of his first features, and critics have described Pitbull as a modern-day heir to the group's booming, chant-driven booty-bass sound.
listen forDrop 2 Live Crew's 'Me So Horny' and then Pitbull's debut single 'Culo' — the same speaker-rattling 808 sub-bass and the same call-and-response party chant built to move a Miami club.
Pitbull, the son of Cuban immigrants, has cited Celia Cruz among his sources of inspiration, and he carries her exuberant Cuban celebration into his own bilingual party anthems and shout-outs to Miami's Cuban-exile heart, Calle Ocho.
listen forPut on Cruz's 'La Vida Es Un Carnaval' and then Pitbull's 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)' — both turn a Spanish-language hook and a bright, festive Latin groove into a wall-to-wall celebration, with Pitbull naming the very Miami street that anchors that community.
Wikipedia's account of his influences lists Snoop Dogg among the rappers Pitbull drew from, and you can hear it in the unhurried, pleasure-seeking club-rap persona Pitbull adopts once he steps out of hardcore Miami-bass mode and into smoother crossover territory.
listen forLine up Snoop's 'Drop It Like It's Hot' with Pitbull's 'Hotel Room Service' — both ride a spare, minimal groove with a laid-back, conversational flow that treats the club like a lounge rather than a mosh pit.